Remember The 90's?: Re-Living Greatness

[young2rice]

1992 NFL Draft - Round 6
==========================================

Best Pick: 15th - Giants - FS - Kurt Schulz (75 Ovr)

Info: The New York Giants had the best pick of the 6th round because of the quality they were able to garner. Schulz is a solid free safety that should've gone in the 2nd or 3rd round of the draft but fell. Schulz might struggle though as both Vince Newsome (89 Ovr) and Myron Guyton (85 Ovr) are ahead of him on the Giants depth chart. However the good news is that Newsome's contract is up at the end of this season, and Guyton is only signed through the end of next season. Schulz however instilled so much confidence in the Giants that they immediately signed him to a 7 year contract. So Schulz better get comfortable for the next few seasons on the bench, but should expect to contribute in the near future. The Giants also only have Greg Jackson (90 Ovr) as their single strong safety currently on the roster so don't be surprised if one of the Giants talented free safeties change to the strong spot before the season starts.

Worst Pick: 22nd - Bengals - RE - Wally Lopez (59 Ovr)

Info: It's not surprise that Wally Lopez will most likely not amount to much in the NFL. The Bengals just drafted a DE in the 5th round but felt the need to select another here in the 6th. With Matt LaBounty (66 Ovr) ahead of him on the roster he won't see much playing time. It's a safe bet though to expect the Bengals to go after defensive ends hard in free agency and not have LaBounty be the team's starting right end by the seasons start. With the only other defensive lineman on the roster being star Daniel Stubbs (91 Ovr) the Bengals are going to try their best to find a compliment to him.

Summary

Info: The talent starts to dwindle as the draft comes to a close but for the most part there were still some diamonds in the rough.

The first selection of the 6th round was a solid one in quarterback Craig Erickson (74 Ovr) by the Washington Redskins. Mark Rypien isn't getting any younger
and his backup, Jeff Kemp (77 Ovr) is now entering his 11th season in the NFL. The Redskins are going to be hard pressed to at least find a stable backup player for Rypien and that appears to be Craig Erickson. Erickson may even have a chance to surpass Kemp before the regular season starts if he shows promise during the pre-season. Another good selection was Kent Graham (73 Ovr) by the Seattle Seahawks. Graham will join rookie Jeff Blake (77 Ovr) on the Seahawks roster along with 4 year veteran Kelly Stouffer (68 Ovr) as the only quarterbacks on the roster. With the departure of Dave Kreig it's open-season for the starting quarterback spot in Seattle. The 49ers made a decent selection in middle linebacker Dwight Hollier (72 Ovr) with the final selection of the 6th round. Hollier will join a shaken-up 49er linebacking corps that will need young stars to establish early if they want to continue to play tough.

The offensive linemen selected in the 6th round left much to be desired as the Bears, and Oilers both selected left tackles in Shawn Harper (58 Ovr) and Rob Baxley (59 Ovr). With slim pickings it's tough to make solid selections this late in the draft but when there are still decent players like CB Derrick Hoskins (67 Ovr), runningback Ronald Humphrey (65 Ovr) and MLB Dwight Hollier (72 Ovr) available then you have to question just how much of a need the lineman position is for those teams. Meanwhile the Packers had to scrape at the bottom of the barrel of defensive ends to find Roosevelt Nix (61 Ovr). The selection wouldn't have been that bad if players like Shane Collins (68 Ovr) and Tim Roberts (63 Ovr) weren't still available at the same position.

 

[young2rice]

1992 NFL Draft - Round 7
==========================================

Best Pick: 16th - Browns - QB - Ty Detmer (73 Ovr)

Info: Was a tough decision between Ty Detmer, Dana Hall (74 Ovr), and Ed Cunningham (74 Ovr) for the best pick of the final round of the 1992 NFL Draft but it was made easier by the potential for starting on the team with Detmer. Ty Detmer was an accolade filled quarterback during his collegiate career but we'll see how he transitions to the NFL. He'll have the luxury of being tutored by one of the best quarterbacks currently playing in Bernie Kosar. Behind Kosar the Browns only had Jeff Francis (62 Ovr) backing him up and Ty Detmer will fill that hole as needed. In fact Kosar has struggled with injuries the last few seasons and Detmer may see action much sooner than expected in the Browns offense. It's a shame that he fell so far as most quarterbacks did in this years draft as the talent was there for him to have been about a 4th round selection.

Worst Pick: 20th - Steelers - LOLB - Don Jones (56 Ovr)

Info: Outside of the obvious Patriots picking kicker Wendell Walsh (42 Ovr) the worst pick of the final round was the Steelers late left outside linebacker selection. The position had already been pretty much completely depleted of talent at this point and when the next pick later someone selects a 74 overall strong saftey in Dana Hall, or later on having other solid players like Ed Cunningham, Sean Lumpkin, and Terry Ray selected then this makes the Steelers selection look even worse.

Summary

Info: The remaining players are selected here in the draft as a few talented individuals are taken before they become undrafted. The main position that in real life was chock-full of talent was the safety position this year, and unfortunately the madden generated draft was not, so a lot of late picks are turning out to be top selections.

The best selections were obviously the safeties as the Packers picked up free safety Matt Darby (74 Ovr) the Eagles nabbed Dana Hall (74 Ovr) and the Bills picked up Sean Lumpkin (72 Ovr) and the Raiders selecting Terry Ray (70 Ovr). Unfortunately for the Bills though they are running out of cap room and as a result could not sign Sean Lumpkin to a deal so the strong saftey will probably enter free agency. Meanwhile Dana Hall would've been my selection for best value pick of the 7th round had it not been the Eagles. On the Eagles roster he will drop to 3rd at the SS position behind Andre Waters and last years solid rookie, Marty Carter. The Redskins still found some talent in MLB Keith Goganius (69 Ovr) to slide behind star MLB Eugene Lockhart (99 Ovr), as did the Falcons in Glenn Cadrez (69 Ovr).

The worst of the best were taken in this round as numerous 50-59 Ovr rated players started to pop up. The Jets struck out by selecting ROLB Erick Anderson (59 Ovr) as did the Steelers with LOLB Don Jones (56 Ovr) and the Rams with LOLB Ephesians Bartley (57 Ovr). The Cowboys struggled with LT Louis Age (57 Ovr) and the Bears were desperate to nab a WR in Patrick Rowe (58 Ovr). The Oilers unfortunately continued their mediocre draft with CB Clayton Holmes (57 Ovr) as the final CB selected in the draft.

 

[Emac78]

Wow! This is ridiculously awesome! Really brings back some fond memories of the 90s.

 

[young2rice]

Wow this is ridiculously in-depth. Over the summer when I have time I am going to go through every page of this lol. This is crazy good. Nice Job.

Hehe yeah I sort of started with the idea of it just being a 1990's franchise, the more I started working on it the more accurate I wanted it to be so I started getting player's equipment correct for the time period based on pictures, then ratings based on performances, and I'm still trying to figure out ways to make the reports as in-depth as possible to give some connectivity and realism to the whole situation. Yeah it'll take awhile to read but hopefully it'll be enjoyable.

Wow! This is ridiculously awesome! Really brings back some fond memories of the 90s.

Thanks, yeah being a 49er fan I guess the lack of recent success has partially and sub-consciously been a reason for my original start of this franchise since at least we won some games back then haha.



I'll try to get the free agent lists up today with who will be available.

 

[Emac78]

Yep. Niner fan here too but it is becoming more difficult every year to stay loyal. lol
Oh well. We had two great decades of success.

 

[young2rice]

Well I ran through the free agency 1 time, wrote down all the info, and then the game bugged out (none of the buttons would work, unfortunately the editor causes madden to bug out every once and awhile.)

But luckily I always have backup copies of this just in case so I had a backup I created just before free agency started. It's kind of funny the logic for the CPU free agents was 95% the same the 2nd time around, like every player that was signed to a team was signed by that same team the 2nd time around. With 1 omission.

The original time was kind of cool, the Bengals were in salary cap hell so they made a drastic move and released QB Boomer Esiason, signed youngster Stan Humphries to a deal (which would make him their starter) and then breathed with their salary cap space. Esiason ended up being picked up by the Cowboys, which would've put Troy Aikman (86 Ovr compared to Esiason's 96 Ovr) as a 2nd string for at least a few seasons. I was eager to see this play out but that was the only thing that didn't happen the 2nd time around w/ the non-corrupt save.

So ... anyway just a random tidbit about what just happened. I've written up the free agency excel sheets, and will upload them tonight, but probably won't post them until tomorrow.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - QB

Opinion: A few solid quarterbacks were available this off-season in free agency, and most found brand new homes that will hopefully rocket their careers. The top free agent quarterback was undoubtedly Dave Krieg (90 Ovr) who has been a solid quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. The 34 year old quarterback is now going to take his chances elsewhere as he ended up signing with the Detroit Lions. The Lions will be an interesting fit for Krieg as he will supplant Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer's quarterback controversy and be the immediate top QB on the roster. Not to mention Krieg will have something he didn't have in Seattle, one of the best HB's in the game, in Barry Sanders. It'll be interesting to see how he acclimates to the Lions this season.

Another big pick was last years #1 selection, quarterback Brett Favre (86 Ovr). Favre spent his first year with the team and like in real life will be headed this year to the team that he will hopefully become a star with. However it's not Green Bay, it's New York! The Giants were tired of the play of Jeff Hostetler already and hope Favre will be Simms 2.0. As a result the Giants released Hostetler once they signed Favre. Hostetler ended up signing with the Broncos to backup John Elway. The Broncos released last years backup, Gary Kubiak who ended up signing a contract with the Green Bay Packers to play behind Don Majkowski.

Marc Wilson had a breakout year in 1990 with the New England Patriots, and tried to capitalize on that in free agency by joining the Chargers. There were high expectations coming off that year for him to perform well but he only had 2,363 yards 19 touchdowns and 20 interceptions to a lackluster 63.0 quarterback rating. The 34 year quarterback appears to possibly be a one-hit wonder if he can't come back this year. The Chargers immediately released him because of their frustration and as a result he ended up signing with the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson will have to battle rookie Jeff Blake (77 Ovr) for the starting job in Seattle. Meanwhile the Chargers decided to sign Jim Harbaugh (79 Ovr) who was replaced in Chicago as the starter by ex-1990 Charger starter, Marc Vlasic who also capitalized like Marc Wilson on a solid 1990 season in free agency to join the Bears. The difference being that Vlasic played decently despite injury with 1,550 yards and 12 touchdowns with 8 interceptions as a Bear so he will remain the starter. Jim Harbaugh however wants to start and the only place he has a shot atm would be San Diego. Last year Harbaugh struggled filling in for the injured Vlasic with a 665 yard, 4 touchdown 8 interceptions season that left much to be desired. In San Diego however it's not clear-cut that Harbaugh will start as he'll be competing with John Friesz (77 Ovr) and rookie Brad Johnson (76 Ovr) for thes tarting spot.

Wade Wilson (81 Ovr) decided to leave the Vikings and will be happy backing up Chris Miller (83 Ovr) in Atlanta as he was tired of the musical chairs at QB that he was suffering through in Minnesota. The Vikings decided to replace him with 30 year old Mike Tomczak (77 Ovr) who will compete with Rich Gannon (82 Ovr) for the starting spot since Gannon has not impressed lately with his ability.

The Bengals nabbed youngster Stan Humphries (79 Ovr) to backup Boomer Esiason in case of injury. Humphries had a solid 2 game performance with the Steelers last season that resulted in 387 yards for 3 touchdowns and only 1 pick giving him a 91.4 quarterback rating, which gives Cincinnati hope for the future.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - HB

Opinion: A bevy of talented running backs topped the free agent market this off-season. In fact two of the best runners in the league were available in Herschel Walker and Eric Dickerson. A few surprising changes occurred that'll shake up the way the teams lie for the years to come.

Herschel Walker (94 Ovr) had a solid 2.5 year career with the Minnesota Vikings topped by last years 1,616 total yards 8 total touchdown performance that established his continued mark as a top half back in the NFL. However the Vikings weren't the right fit for him as he decided to leave. Walker ended up signing a contract with the Bengals who had a glaring hole at his position. With the retirement of James Brooks, the Bengals star runningback and the release of 26 year old Ickey Woods (84 Ovr) the Bengals were hurting at the position. However they upgraded with style by signing Walker. He will easily be the top runningback on the Bengals and will certainly get tested. The Bengals also unfortunately had to release numerous offensive linemen on the team so it'll be interesting to see how their new unit gels and whether or not that will have a significant impact on Walker's numbers.

Another top runningback was signed in free agency by the name of Eric Dickerson, the 2nd all-time leading rusher in NFL history (14,100) only 2nd to Walter Peyton (16,726). The 30 year old runningback is already the all-time team leading rusher for the Rams and Colts, and it appears he's going to take a stab at holding that title for three teams as he decides to leave Indianapolis. If he stays healthy it appears in two seasons Dickerson may become the NFL's all-time leading rusher by surpassing Peyton. The only question is will it still be in a Dolphin uniform? Eitherway he will start over Mike Rozier (84 Ovr) and be a surprise offensive weapon for the Dolphins.

Bobby Humphrey has slowly emerged as an unexpected asset to the Broncos over the past few seasons. Yet it appears Denver didn't appreciate him as they let him go. Last year Humphrey had 1,027 yards and 4 touchdowns rushing with 40 catches and another paydirt scamper as well. The Indianapolis Colts decided to sign Humphrey who will have rather large shoes to fill in Eric Dickerson. If he can even accomplish half of what Dickerson did then Humphrey was a good signing.

The Ickey shuffle is now going to make it's way to Seattle as Ickey Woods leaves the Bengals for the Seahawks. Woods (84 Ovr) will once again be playing 2nd fiddle, but this time to Chris Warren (84 Ovr). Apparently the Seahawks want the controversy and depth at halfback as they also signed Rueben Mayes (82 Ovr) who was backing up Barry Sanders last year. Mayes was complaining about not being the starter in New Orleans, went to a team where he had no chance of starting, and now will be joining another cluster at runningback in Seattle with Chris Warren, Ickey Woods, and Mayes likely becoming the 3rd stringer. To free up the room the Seahawks ended up cutting Derek Loville (75 Ovr) who improved greatly last year and had 2 touchdowns despite starting the season as the Seahawks number 3 runningback. Loville ended up signing a contract with the Vikings where he'll sit behind Terry Allen (81 Ovr).

The Cowboys cut and ended up resigning Alonzo Highsmith (81 Ovr) as did the Cardinals with Anthony Thompson (78 Ovr). Both players will be solid backups to Emmitt Smith and Johnny Johnson respectively.

Curt Warner (80 Ovr) will try his best to get on the field after a flash-in-the-pan success in Seattle as their starter for a few seasons. He then departed to the Rams where in 1990 he struggled in competition to keep the starting job. Eventually this season the Rams decided to let him go when last year Rickey Watters (84 Ovr) emerged as the teams new apparent franchise runningback. As the waters got too crowded Curt Warner decided it was best to go someplace and get a ring at 31 years of age the runningback will join the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles usually split carries between Anthony Toney (88 Ovr) and Heath Sherman (78 Ovr) but now Sherman's role may be replaced by Curt Warner. The Eagles have never really been sold on Toney as their starter but he has a knack of exploding in the playoffs. Eitherway Warner is in a much better situation in Philly.

Lars Tate (79 Ovr) leaves the Bears in order to acquire a backup role in Washington and replace Reggie Dupard (79 Ovr) who left the Redskins for the Saints and a backup role there.

The Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers decided to pickup a solid young runningback in Sammie Smith (79 Ovr) who spent the past few years with the Miami Dolphins. As a Dolphin he became the #2 to Mark Rozier but still had 229 yards on 74 carries last year. In San Francisco he will join Brent Fullwood (82 Ovr) and Dexter Carter (81 Ovr) in an attempt to battle it out and solidify the team's starting halfback.

The Lions needed a backup to replace Rueben Mayes and found in in former Colt, Albert Bentley (78 Ovr), and the Patriots snagged Bruce Perkins (76 Ovr) to give themselves depth. Meanwhile the Buccaneers added ex-Packer Vince Workman (74 Ovr) to help on their special teams.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - FB

Opinion: Some top-tier fullbacks are making the switch to a new team this off-season and some top-tier fullbacks are actually still sitting unsigned after the free agency period. Needless to say a few will find homes as the season progressed but a lot of talent is surprisingly available.

The best fullback available was easily ex-Seahawk Derrick Fenner (92 Ovr). At only 25 years old he is a solid all-around fullback that should become a welcomed established player in Pittsburgh, his new home. Last year Fenner had 274 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground and 291 yards on 29 catches and 3 touchdowns in the air. He also blocked the way for Chris Warren to have 1,142 yards on a 3.8 yard per carry average. Fenner will bring a much needed weapon-x to the Steelers run game this season.

Meanwhile a surprising addition to the fullback roster is last year's dud, John L. Williams (87 Ovr). Williams was signed by the 49ers in an attempt to become their starting runningback but it ended in a lackluster result. Late in the season he was supplanted by late-signed Brent Fullwood as the 49ers starter and was all but forgotten. The youngster only had 703 yards rushing but accounted for a solid 6 touchdowns, and another receiving touchdown. He had a tall order in trying to replace Roger Craig and the 49ers were quick to make the decision to release him. However not before Williams made a decision himself. Williams has decided to switch over to fullback where he believes he'll be more suited. As a result he was signed by the 49ers rival, Los Angeles Rams. The Rams needed a replacement for Buford McGee (85 Ovr) and found it in Williams. Williams will help block and play alongside Rams HB Ricky Watters in an attempt to hone his new position. Meanwhile the ex-Ram Buford McGee will bring his pro-bowl blocking to the Denver Broncos as a replacement to Sammy Winder (86 Ovr) and hopefully be more of an offensive threat then Winder.

Sammy Winder will leave the Broncos and attempt to find a newfound respect in Detroit where he will be better suited. As a Bronco they wanted him to be more of an offensive weapon but Winder was a much better blocking fullback. Which is exactly was Detroit needs to help spring Barry Sanders loose.

The final fullback selected was Cardinal veteran Ron Wolfey (85 Ovr). The Cardinals decided last year to go with the younger Larry Centers as their starter and Wolfey was pushed out. He'll join the Bengals and be their starting fullback as last year's fullback, Harold Green (90 Ovr) decided to switch position to halfback (82 Ovr) where he will be the team's #2 to new-acquisition, Herschel Walker.

There is still plenty of talent available at the fullback position but the need for it around the league isn't that great as many teams are pretty set at fullback. Bob Christian is a young 24 year old with talent (83 Ovr) that is unfortunately going to most likely sit at home until a fullback garners a significant injury. Veteran bruiser Maurice Carthon was released by the Giants only to be left unsigned, along with Stanford Jennings (80 Ovr) of the Bengals. Marvin Allen left the Patriots in hopes of greener pastures but all he seemed to find was his couch.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - WR

Opinion: Numerous #2 wide receivers will be attempting to find franchises that will give them the shot they need to prove they can be a top receiver this season. With only a sprinkle of solid number one receivers available this years wide receiver market was littered with potential and experience.

The best wide receiver available had an off-year, as did the entire team, last year as a Cleveland Brown. Webster Slaughter (90 Ovr) was still the Browns leading receiver, but not by much. He caught 66 balls for 828 yards and 7 touchdowns. While they are decent numbers they aren't the 1,000+ yard seasons they want out of Slaughter. As a result Slaughter departed and ended up signing a contract with the Detroit Lions. The Detroit Lions went from a runningback powerhouse to potentially one of the most prolific offenses this off-season by acquiring quarterback Dave Krieg, and now Webster Slaughter. Slaughter will be the team's number one receiver and form one half of a solid tandem alongside Richard Johnson (89 Ovr) and have Willie Green (76 Ovr) sitting at the third spot. The Lions had to cut the fat and ended up letting Robert Clark (85 Ovr) go as a result and he ended up signing with the Eagles. The Lions also let Terry Greer (71 Ovr) go but he was unsigned by the end of the free agency period. As an Eagle however Robert Clark will join Fred Barnett (90 Ovr) and Calvin Williams (90 Ovr) to become on the youngest and most talented wide receiver corps in the league. The three youngsters will tear up the field with Cunningham tossing them the football and establish themselves as a top tier passing team this next season if things go according to design.

Veteran Louis Lipps (84 Ovr) departed from the Steelers to join the Packers. He can hopefully bring his spectacular catching ability to the Packers and become a solid counter to Sterling Sharpe (90 Ovr).

The Giants had to let their top receiver, Mark Ingram (83 Ovr) go as he decided to become a Seattle Seahawk. Ingram will play second fiddle to Brian Blades (91 Ovr) and battle with Tommy Kane (83 Ovr) for the #2 spot. The Seahawks did end up releasing Jeff Chadwick (80 Ovr) who signed with the Vikings. The Vikings also signed Brian Brennan from the Browns (79 Ovr) and released Shawn Jefferson (73 Ovr), who was a rookie last season, and Ira HIllary (71 Ovr). Now with Hassan Jones, Cris Carter, and Anthony Carter, Jeff Chadwick, and Brian Brennan the Vikings have some solid depth at the wide receiver position. Shawn Jefferson was buried on the depth chart of the Vikings last year as a rookie and will hopefully see the light of day in San Francisco where he will battle with Mike Sherrard (73 Ovr) for the teams 3rd wide receiver spot.

The Houston Oilers passing attack continues to get scarier each season s they signed both ex-Chief, Robb Thomas (82 Ovr) and ex-49er, Yancey Thigpen (82 Ovr). As a Chief last season Thomas was their leading touchdown wide receiver with 5 on the season on 56 catches for 571 yards despite an overall lackluster year with Steve Pelluer filling in for the retired Steve DeBerg. Meanwhile Yancey Thigpen was probably the 2nd best rookie wide receiver to only Jeff Graham of the Bills. As a rookie with the 49ers he took advantage of their passing game to garner 46 catches for 560 yards as the teams 3rd wide receiver behind Jerry Rice and John Taylor. He was however completely shut out of the end zone and hopes to change that with the Oilers. The Oilers have released Tony Jones (78 Ovr) and he went unsigned but with Haywood Jeffries (92 Ovr) and Ernest Givens (88 Ovr) on the team they still have solid wide receivers. With either Thomas or Thigpen sliding into that #3 spot and the other at the #4 it's obvious that the Oilers are piecing together one of the most talented wide receiver corps in the league for Warren Moon to continue his pass-happy ways.

The Giants replacement for Mark Ingram was 25 year old Michael Barber (79 Ovr) from the Bengals. Barber established himself last year with the Bengals due to injuries at wide receiver as a potential #2. He nabbed 49 catches for 715 yards and 5 touchdowns as the Bengals official #3 and decided to head to New York for a better chance at starting.

Last years Keenan McCardell (79 Ovr) was a rookie wide receiver for the New York Giants. He started off as the teams #3 but quickly earned the 2nd spot with his amazing abilities. He was 2nd on the team with 51 catches for 483 yards and a touchdown despite the horrible play of quarterback Jeff Hostetler. McCardell decided to leave and inked a deal with the Los Angeles Rams to catch balls from Jim Everett. He said he wanted to go somewhere with a top-caliber quarterback to really hone his skills and he'll certainly do so in L.A. One can only wonder though how well he would've worked with Stephen Baker (84 Ovr) as the top two receivers for new Giants quarterback Brett Favre. In L.A. he'll have a better QB throwing him the ball but will be stuck at the 3rd spot behind two of the better receivers in the league in Henry Ellard (91 Ovr) and Willie 'Flipper' Anderson (90 Ovr).

The Saints tacked Emile Harry (78 Ovr) onto their roster after a decent year with the Chiefs.

A pair of Falcons free agents found new homes as Atlanta released both Floyd Dixon (78 Ovr) and Shawn Collins (78 Ovr) who signed with the Chargers and Buccaneers respectively. Collins was clearly the better of the two as he had 37 catches for 441 yards and 3 touchdowns and Dixon had 14 catches for 166 yards and 1 touchdown.

Finally the Indianapolis Colts decided to add a little depth to their wide receiver squad and replace the released Stacey Simmons (72 Ovr) with 25 year old speedster, Floyd Turner (76 Ovr).

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - TE

Opinion: A few top notch tight ends were available this year in the off-season but only a handful of those will actually be headed to new teams.

The top tight end available was likely Mark Bavaro (91 Ovr) of the New York Giants. The veteran tight end has dipped in production since his star days in the mid-80's with Phil Simms at quarterback, but so has the majority of the Giants offense after Simms retirement. Bavaro had 38 catches for 277 yards and 4 touchdowns last year despite missing a couple games due to injury. The Indianapolis Colts decided to take a gamble on the 30 year old returning to his high production by signing him as a free agent. Bavaro will bring a bruising style of play to the tight end position that the Colts desperately need. As a result they released Pat Beach (81 Ovr) their former starter who ended up signing with the Bears. Beach will replace released Bear, James Thornton (78 Ovr) who signed with the Patriots.

The next tier of tight end was led by Jimmie Johnson (88 Ovr) and Travis McNeal (88 Ovr) however both ended up re-signing with their original teams. Jimmie Johnson will return to the Washington Redskins after a surprising 1991 campaign that saw him become the Redskins leading pass catcher. Johnson led the Redskins with 65 catches on the year and was second in yards with 605 and had 4 touchdowns grabs. The Redskins obviously saw the need to keep Johnson as Art Monk retired and felt that loosing their top two pass-catchers would not be a good idea, so they tossed big money at Johnson and he agreed to return. Meanwhile Travis McNeal has come out of nowhere the past few seasons to become a top notch pass catching tight end. McNeal took advantage of the Seahawks pass-heavy offense and with Dave Krieg tossing him the football he managed to be the Seahawks 2nd leading receiver with 58 catches 506 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season. McNeal will return as the Seahawks tight end after re-signing in free agency with the team despite offers from Tampa Bay and New England. However McNeal will have to deal with a new quarterback as Krieg is headed to Detroit.

The Cleveland Browns added 34 year old veteran Pete Holohan (83 Ovr) to their squad. The Cleveland Browns suffered at the tight end spot when Ozzie Newsome retired after the 1990 season. The Browns ended up forcing Scott Galbraith to become what he was not, a heavy pass catching tight end. Galbraith struggled in the role and had 41 catches for 312 yards and 2 touchdowns, but was not suited for that position. As a result the Browns actively went into free agency and picked up Pete Holohan who was looking to fit into the right spot. Holohan left the Rams in 1990 and joined the Falcons in the off-season. However with the Falcons he was not utilized as much as he would've liked. Ge had only 18 catches for 125 yards before suffering an injury and having Gary Wilkins (77 Ovr) come in and replace him.

The Broncos had to released both of their backup tight ends in Clarence Kay (81 Ovr) and Orson Mobley (80 Ovr) to make cap room. The Broncos have a pelthora of tight ends available as they switched backup WR, Shannon Sharpe, to the tight end spot (87 Ovr) where it apepars he may become the team's new starter. Not to mention the Broncos also decided to draft rookie Johnny Mitchell (80 Ovr) who is expected to be a great receiving tight end if he can stay healthy. With these additions the Broncos had no need to Kay and Mobley. The Broncos hardly used their tight end last year in the passing game as Kay only accounted for 6 catches for 50 yards as the team's starting TE. Kay will have a much greater role in Atlanta where he is replacing Pete Holohan. Meanwhile Mobley will hopefully get his first chance to shine in Phoenix with the Cardinals.

Pete Metzelaars (78 Ovr) was released by the Bills only to sign a restructured contract with them and return to his spot. Meanwhile the Buccaneers picked up Falcons #2 TE, Gary Wilkins (77 Ovr) to replace Jesse Anderson (75 Ovr) who ended up signing wth the Cowboys. Meanwhile the last free agent pickup was by the New York Jets who nabbed Eric Kattus (73 Ovr) from the Bengals.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - OL

Opinion: Many top linemen were available for the taking in free agency this year and will help fortify numerous teams around the league.

A large reason for quality linemen in free agency was the Bengals. The Bengals surprisingly released some of their top linemen in LG Bruce Reimers (96 Ovr), LG Scott Kooistra (84 Ovr), RG Brian Blados (91 Ovr), and backup LT Mike Brennan (70 Ovr). Reimers ended up re-signing with the Bengals after turning down offers with the Bears and Saints as the Bengals had to make the decision to keep either him or Kooistra. Scott Kooistra ended up heading to the Chicago Bears. So the Bengals line isn't completely decimated. However Brian Blados ended up leaving to the Detroit Lions, so the Bengals signed ex-Eagle, Ron Solt (91 Ovr) as his equivalent replacement. Meanwhile Mike Brennan went to the Giants.

At left tackle Trevor Matich left the Jets to join the Rams offensive line meanwhile Eric Floyd (83 Ovr) was released and then re-signed by the Chargers. 25 year old Tony Mandarich (83 Ovr) left Green Bay with the hopes of starting in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile the Patriots let Danny Villa (83 Ovr) go to the Seahawks. John Hunter (75 Ovr) dropped from the Falcons to join the Raiders and the Falcons signed ex-ram Jeff Mickel (65 Ovr) as his replacement. Michael Utley (73 Ovr) left the Lions to join the Eagles and Tom Rehder (68 Ovr) signed with the 49ers to play a backup role.

At left guard Reimers was of course resigned by the Bengals as the best left guard available. Ralph Tamm (90 Ovr) was a big prospect at only 25 years old and he left the Patriots in hopes of greener pastures in Miami. 28 year old Brian Blankenship (77 Ovr) left the Steelers to go to New Orleans. Meanwhile finally Bob Kratch (77 Ovr) was resigned by the Giants.

At the center position the best player available was the Browns Mike Baab (89 Ovr) and he decided to try and get in the playoff hunt by joining the Denver Broncos. The Browns signed 25 year old free agent, Pat Cunningham (72 Ovr) as a replacement. Meanwhile ex-Charger Mark Rodenhauser (84 Ovr) found a new home with the Chiefs. The Chargers ended up signing Blair Bush (75 Ovr) from the Packers as ar eplacement, and the packers signed ex-Cardinal Kani Kauahi (75 Ovr) to replace Bush. This domino effect led to the Cardinals picking veteran ex-Falcon, Guy Bingham (72 Ovr) and the Falcons selecting ex-chief Frank Winters (71 Ovr). The Colts also surprised by taking former Bronco Keith Kartz (82 Ovr) to compete on their offensive line.

At the right guard position outside of Blados and Solt John Rienstra (86 Ovr) left the Steelers to try and make it in L.A. with the Rams. The Rams had to fill a hole where Duval Love (84 Ovr) left since he wanted to join the Broncos. Finally Bruce Collie (75 Ovr) signed a multi-year contract with the Cleveland Browns.

The right tackle position didn't have as much depth available as only two big names stood out in Tom Ricketts (88 Ovr) and Tootie Robbins (81 Ovr). Ricketts is only 25 years old and the former Steeler decided to join Brian Blados by heading to the Lions. Meanwhile Tootie Robbins has seen many years in the NFL at the age of 34 and appears he may end his career in Buffalo. Other roster-fillers, Kevin Robbins (68 Ovr), Paul Blair (66 Ovr), and Alan Veingrad (66 Ovr) were signed by the Bengals, Cardinals, and Patriots respectively.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - DE

Opinion: Continuing the trend of top-tier players available in free agency are the defensive ends.

At left end the Broncos started off by bolstering their pass rush into one of the better ones in the league by signing arguably the top two available left ends in Reuben Davis (90 Ovr) and Jacob Green (89 Ovr). Davis the ex-Buccaneer is only 27 years old but had a lackluster 1991 year that only saw him garner 4 sacks prompting the Buccaneers to not resign him. Meanwhile 33 year old veteran Jacob Green had a 51 tackle 6 sack year under his belt. With the acquisition of both of this top players the Broncos had no need to re-sign Warren Powers (85 Ovr) so they let him go and he quickly found a new franchise in the Washington Redskins. The Dolphins also joined in on the action by signing ex-Bill, Leon Seals (88 Ovr) to a contract. The Bengals fire sale of free agents continued as they let Skip McClendon (85 Ovr) go and he immediately signed with the Lions joining former Bengal teammate Brian Blados (LG). The final left end taken was New York Giant John Washington (75 Ovr) who luckily won't have to move as he ended signing with the other New York team, the Jets.

There were many more players available at the right end position this year, including one of the best to play the position. Long-time 49er, Charles Haley (99 Ovr) will be leaving the Super Bowl champs to attempt to find more rings in Pittsburgh. The 49ers ended up signing former Falcon, Aundray Bruce (82 Ovr) to replace Haley, but it's going to be hard to replace 119 tackles and 13 sacks. The Falcons signed Markus Koch (80 Ovr) as Bruce's replacement.

The Bengals fire sale continued as they released David Grant (88 Ovr) and the Rams immediately scooped him up. The Bengals also released backup Natu Tuatagaloa (75 Ovr) who the Raiders had join their squad. However the Bengals were not shy about signing ends as not only did they pick up left ends Reuben Davis and Jacob Green, but they also nabbed veteran 33 year old right end, Keith Willis (88 Ovr) from the Steelers. The Colts signed ex-Patriot Garin Veris (85 Ovr) who has emerged as a big-time defensive end after two solid surprise seasons. The Patriots signed Rod Saddler (83 Ovr) as Veris replacement. The Vikings let Thomas Strauthers (76 Ovr) go and the Eagles nabbed him to replace David Bailey (73 Ovr) who ironically ended up going to the Vikings.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - DT

Opinion: The big men in the middle of the defensive line made a big time showing in free agency as Pro Bowl quality defensive tackles were switching teams.

For the second year in a row pro bowler Keith Millard (92 Ovr) will be finding a new team. This time he left the Redskins in favor of the New York football Giants. Millard had a solid showing last year despite his drop in tackles with a 27 tackle 7 sack season in Washington. The Redskins ended up signing recently released San Diego Charger, George Hinkle (80 Ovr) as a fill in for Millard's departure. The Raiders decided to beef up their line by not only re-signing Scott Davis (87 Ovr) to a new contract, but picking up Cowboy Danny Noonan (83 Ovr) as well to play alongside Davis. Noonan had a big-time 33 tackles 11 sack season for the Cowboys and will hopefully bring that intensity to the Raiders. The Packers released and then resigned Shawn Patterson (81 Ovr) and the Broncos did the same with their defensive tackle, Andre Townsend (80 Ovr). Tim Newton (79 Ovr) left the Buccaneers to join the Cardinals and Jim Wahler (79 Ovr) left the Cardinals to join the Falcons. The Steelers tried to make some cap room by cutting Tim Johnson (79 Ovr) and replacing him with older Mike Pitts (78 Ovr) as Johnson ended up signing with the Patriots. Finally youngster Shawn Lee left the crowded Dolphins defensive line situation in hopes of some clarity in Kansas City with the Chiefs.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - LOLB

Opinion: A few surprise switches at the left outside linebacker spot and a couple of returning players highlighted this position in free agency.

Entering into his prime years Cowboy's LOLB, Jack Del Rio (92 Ovr) decided that he wanted to try to help another team as he ended up signing with the Bengals. Last years as a Cowboys he was 1 tackle away from leading the team with 114 on the season. The Cowboys ended up signing former Chief, Van Waiters (84 Ovr) as Del Rio's replacement.

The Green Bay Packers released young breakout star Anthony Bell (91 Ovr) before restructuring his contract and resigning him. The Bengals had to make room for Del Rio and released 28 year old Leon White (82 Ovr) who ended up signing with the Cleveland Browns. The Buffalo Bills said goodbye to Hal Garner (82 Ovr) as he went to party in Miami.

Brian Forde (76 Ovr) left the Saints to join the Giants, and Quintus McDonald (74 Ovr) left Indianapolis during the night to Tampa. Mark Busbabek won't be missed in Minnesota as he joins the Falcons and finally the Patriots let veteran 32 year old Ed Williams (74 Ovr) head south to the New Orleans Saints.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - MLB

Opinion: With 14 players over 80 overall the middle linebacker position was one of the easiest to upgrade this off-season. Including the addition of some holdout players there will be some interesting developments this upcoming season as these players changed the defenses of brand new teams.

One of the big stories last season was the hold out of 31 year old MLB, Johnny Rembert (93 Ovr) from the New England Patriots. The veteran was upset with the team and as a result they watched as Rembert held out for the season. Rembert must not have expected the Patriots to stick to their guns as they did and let him go the entire season without playing. It was inevitable that he would be released this year with the divide that was created between him and the franchise. In the meantime the Seattle Seahawks were willing to be the new home that Rembert was clamoring for. Surprisingly the Patriots also released last years starter, Ed Reynolds (88 Ovr) as they felt the 31 year old was asking for too much money. Reynolds ended up heading to the Chiefs.

The next best MLB available is entering into his prime years as Dino Hackett (93 Ovr) lef the Chiefs. The 28 year old will be signing with the Rams who have been struggling to find identity at the position for a few years now. The Rams decided to release Brett Faryniarz (82 Ovr) upon signing Hackett and he went to the Bills as a replacement for Ray Bentley (90 Ovr). The 31-year old Bentley wanted out of Buffalo and will see how he fits in Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers cut both of their middle linebackers, Eugene Marve (90 Ovr) and Sam Anno (83 Ovr) since they felt like they wanted to have a chance of winning with other teams. Eugene Marve will be filling the hole that Johnny Rembert left in New England without the attempt at a hold out, meanwhile Anno will be addressing the Redskins needs as their backup MLB. With Marve replacing Rembert the Patriots needed somebody to replace Reynolds and they decided to go with ex-49er, Matt Millen (83 Ovr). The 34 year old veteran will most likely end his career there as he only has a few seasons left in his tank. The final MLB taken was 32 year old Rick Dennison (83 Ovr) who felt that his best chances were going to be with the Bengals this upcoming season as he signed a multi-year deal with them.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - ROLB

Opinion: The weakest availability at a linebacker position this free agency season was at the right outside linebacker spot. However a few teams will definately feel the impact of the losses and additions this position brought with it.

Easily the best ROLB available was Packer Scott Stephen (88 Ovr). Despite an injury last year Stephen still had a 70 tackle year for the Packers and will likely have an even better season with the Bengals this year as he joins Jack Del Rio to make a powerful outside linebacker attack on Cincinnati's defense. To make room for Stephen on the team the Bengals released Bernard Clark (71 Ovr) who remains unsigned in the free agent pool.

Kevin Murphy (82 Ovr) decided to leave a losing team in the Buccaneers in hopes of tasting victory with the Houston Oilers. Meanwhile the Lions dropped off Mark Brown (77 Ovr) to the Patriots. Kurt Larson (76 Ovr) spent all of last season sitting in free agency before this year when the Vikings decided to call upon his services. Finally Frank Stams (75 Ovr) left the Rams to join the Chiefs.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - CB

Opinion: As usual plenty of cornerbacks are available, including numerous talented players that surprisingly didn't find a home last seasons and had a year of their football careers taken from them. With 23 cornerbacks with an 80+ OVR rating there was plenty of talent shifted around the league.

One of the top 3 cornerbacks in the league, Eric Allen (99 Ovr), was a surprising release. Despite wanted to continue playing with the Eagles his contract demands just couldn't fit underneath the Eagles salary cap. So Allen fell victim to the monetary restriction and as a result was vaulted into free agency. Eric Allen had a 7 interception year last year and continues to improve year in and year out, but now he will be doing it in Green Bay. The Packers are already secure in their secondary with Jerry Holmes (90 Ovr) and Leroy Butler (88 Ovr) as well as Cris Dishman (90 Ovr). However Dishman was released by the team because of the opportunity to sign Allen. The Packers though were so secure at the position that they seemed to be the last team in the league that would make an offer to Allen. However Allen did get that offer and accepted it so he will be playing alongside Holmes and Butler automatically making the Packers cornerbacks the best combination of cornerbacks in the league.

Cris Dishman left the Packers and the 27 year old will be joining 26 year old ex-Cardinal, Jay Taylor (90 Ovr) in Los Angeles as both these corners join the Rams. With D.Henley (85 Ovr) still on the Rams roster these three now combine for another top notch secondary in the league. The Packers and Rams have both sky rocketed their secondaries with their talented free agent acquisitions. In order to sign both of these players the Rams did not resign 30 year old Jerry Gray (89 Ovr). Grat ended up joining the Saints.

The Giants picked up one of the better free agent corners in Sam Seale (90 Ovr) who was replaced by Melvin Jenkins (85 Ovr). Jenkins joins the Chargers after spending last season without a team. Sam Seale's addition to the Giants made 32 year old Everson Walls (90 Ovr) expendable as he was released and signed with the Buffalo Bills.

Robert Massey (89 Ovr) was a big time pickup for the Cardinals as they needed a replacement for Jay Taylor's departure. They also added Manny Hendrix (82 Ovr) who played for the Cowboys last season. Lewis Billups (88 Ovr) leaves the Falcons to join the Super Bowl champion 49ers and the Falcons fill Billups' hole with ex-Cardinal Marcus Turner (85 Ovr). Darryl Pollard (88 Ovr) leaves the 49ers after an injury-plagued season to go to Seattle.

The Jets signed Cedrick Mack as well as Leroy Irvin (83 Ovr). The 34 year old veteran corner left Detroit with the hopes of starting in New York. The Jets said goodbye to Tony Stargell (84 Ovr) who will join the Browns along with Michael Brim (84 Ovr) from the Vikings. Anthony Blaylock leaves the Browns to join the Raiders.

Charles Dimry spent last year without a team but the 25 year old 84 overall corner will re-join the Falcons. Eric Everett also was team-less but finds a home with the Steelers. Alan Grant left the Colts to be picked up by the Chiefs and lastley Carl Carter a former Bengal was released last season only to not spend any time on a roster in 1991. However the 27 year old returns to the Bengals after the off-year to help their secondary.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - FS

Opinion: One of the best free safties to play the game switches teams, along with three other 90+ overall players.

Obviously the best player to swtich this off-season at free saftey is Ronnie Lott (99 Ovr). The 33 year old veteran signed a 1 year deal with the 49ers after his 1990 contract was up and then this year signs a 1 year deal with the Los Angeles Raiders. Vencie Glenn (96 Ovr) continues to search for a home as he leaves the Redskins after only a single season to go to the Bills.

As a result the Bills cut veteran 32 year old Leonard Smith (93 Ovr) who signed with the Cardinals. Darrell Fullington (93 Ovr) brings his free saftey of the year winning play style to Washington to fill in where Vencie Glenn left off. Solomon Wilcots (86 Ovr) departs from Los Angeles to join the Steelers. Meanwhile Martin Bayless (83 Ovr) wants to see what Mardi Gras is like with the Saints.

The Super Bowl Champions pick up ex-Bronco, Kip Corrington (78 Ovr). However he is hardly a repalcement for Ronnie Lott so the 49ers secondary is going to be in big trouble this season.

Meanwhile what could potentially be a solid pickup down the road, rookie Kurt Schulz (75 Ovr) was released after being selected. This allowed the Broncos to swoop in and sign him where he could easily develop into a solid starting saftey in the a few years.

 

[young2rice]

Free Agent Results - FS

Opinion: A number of solid strong safeties were up for grabs and the majority of them actually got signed as the position seemed to be in high demand around the league.

One of the top strong safeties in the league is the Vikings Joey Browner (99 Ovr). But the 32 year old apparently wants to add a ring to his finger before he retired and he felt that Minnesota wasn't the place to do that right now. So Browner ended up taking less money to join the Bills in the hopes of heading to the big game. The Colts, Chiefs, Packers, and Saints all released their strong safeties only to resign them to restructured contracts in a surprising show of loyalty. Keith Taylor (90 Ovr), Kevin Porter (88 Ovr), George Greene (83 Ovr) and Bennie Thompson (80 Ovr) all rejoined those respective teams.

Dave Waymer (84 Ovr) felt that he did all he could do in San Francisco and the 34 year old will most likely end his career with the 49ers rival New York Giants. Terry Hoage (87 Ovr) left the Patriots for a bigger market in Dallas. The Vowboys cut 23 year old 1991 rookie, Stevon Moore (73 Ovr) who ended up signing with the Vikings.

Elliot Smith (79 Ovr) felt the Browns had a better shot to go the distance than the Broncos as he switches teams. Pat Eilers (77 Ovr) was Joey Browners backup in Minnesota and managed to find a new home in Detroit. Keith Bostic (76 Ovr) wen thte Steelers and Harry Colon (75 Ovr) left the Chiefs to replace Elliot Smith as the backup strong safety in Denver. The Final strong saftey picked was Herb Welch (74 Ovr) who was a 32 year old veteran backup with the Lions but will now backup for the Patriots.